Description
Aavik C-580 preamp – When only the ultimate will do
The C-580 is Aavik’s top-of-the-range model, and it sets new standards when it comes to reproducing music as authentically and deeply as possible. The result is that you are sucked into the music, evoking a unique sense of tactile lightness and connection with the artist that is just like the one you experience at live concerts.
Advanced and high-tech components
By splitting the integrated amplifier into separate pre- and power amplifiers, Aavik has made it possible to reduce noise levels to even lower levels, refine the signal and increase power resources. At the same time, this division has made room for new technologies that have contributed to an even larger soundstage with an extremely quiet background. Distortion is reduced to just 0.005% and noise is reduced by as many as 108 active Tesla coils. And the unique analogue crossover has a cut-off frequency of 60-160 Hz, so you can effectively avoid room-boom.
Scandinavian design
The Aavik C-580 design is understated and expresses simplicity and minimalism with its few buttons that provide intuitive operation of the preamplifier. The multifunctional main control allows you to navigate and control the various functions, and for a particularly expressive impression, the front display is equipped with a huge red display, which makes it easy to read all the details of the selected settings.
A cabinet with outstanding sound qualities
The preamplifier’s cabinet design represents Aavik’s philosophy, with their strong focus on material selection. This is reflected in the fact that where others typically test new circuits and electronic components without considering the enclosure, Aavik has considered the unsettling impact that the enclosure material has on the sound. Here it is aluminium in particular that has been shown to have a negative impact on sound quality due to its mechanical resonance, and therefore Aavik has minimised the use of aluminium in the cabinet to the absolute minimum. Only the aluminium that is absolutely necessary for optimal cooling is present.
In order to reduce the amount of aluminium in the cabinet design, the C-580 is designed in an innovative and nature-based composite material that reduces mechanical impact – especially hysteresis. The sonic result is clearly audible and reflects yet another cornerstone in Aavik’s quest for the ultimate music experience.
Built as an instrument
When you’re up in the absolute super league of Hi-Fi, it’s the little improvements that can make all the difference. That’s why Aavik has taken a closer look at the design and construction of musical instruments, and how their shape as well as the choice of materials can influence and define tone. Too much damping kills dynamics, while metallic resonances bother a bright and edgy sound. The goal is therefore a mixture of both worlds, and that is exactly what Aavik has succeeded in. The result is an authentic sound that’s warm, harmonious and powerful, but at the same time so crisp and refined that it brings out every detail of the music.
Full separation
The decision to build separate units has given way to a high-quality power supply with a huge capacity and a more efficient cooling design. By separating the individual units and redesigning them in a completely isolated way, the Aavik series has gained a dynamic momentum and a more expansive sound.
Separate power supply
The Aavik C-580 is designed to provide massive power resources with ultra-low noise. When more power is needed, the operating frequency is increased, which has the advantage that the power density is also increased, thus allowing a higher peak power when required by the music. The noise level in the raw power supply is extremely low and is lowered even further by the ultra-low noise regulators that supply the different parts of the circuit. The noise of these regulators is measured in a few microvolts and nanovolts respectively, which is significantly lower than the noise level of conventional regulators.
Analog crossover
The analogue crossover ensures precise timing in the delivery of audio signals to the receiving components. This is important to avoid a harsh and compressed sound. Aavik’s unique crossover is designed to either control a subwoofer very precisely, or to control a 2.1 home cinema system with its integrated low-pass and high-pass filter. Alternatively, Aavik’s analogue sub-filter can act as an analogue room correction control.
Excellent and precise subwoofer control
When the crossover is analogue, there is no latency, making the timing of the signal transfer to both the speakers and the subwoofer incredibly precise. This results in a highly pristine and authentic sound that no other conventional crossovers, such as DSP, can deliver. Conventional crossovers have a latency of 15-20 milliseconds, resulting in imprecise timing in the signal transfer to the speakers and subwoofer, which degrades the authentic sound reproduction and creates a compressed sound that adds a harsh tone to the music. All this is avoided with the C-580.
Take control of your setup
By using the low-pass and high-pass filters, the performance of your speakers can be optimised because you can direct the low frequencies to the subwoofer, so there is more energy for the main speakers. To ensure even volume on the speakers and subwoofer, the gain of the high-pass and low-pass filters can be controlled separately.
Goodbye to “Room Boom”
Room correction is a matter of identifying and eliminating room resonances where one specific resonance is particularly unpleasant and disturbing – the pressure resonance. This resonance is a result of the given size of the room, and it is subjectively felt as a “boom” coming from the speakers. To eliminate this room-specific resonance, Aavik amplifiers can adjust their sound performance to accommodate any given room size. Both the low-pass and high-pass filters allow the listener to set the exact frequency response around the low frequencies that cause that unsettling “boom” effect.
Active Tesla coils and Analog dither technology
Aavik’s C-580 is equipped with 108 active Tesla coils and as many as 240 active square Tesla coils, which together ensure impressive noise reduction. The active Tesla coils are powered for a remarkably lower impedance, and thus a better ability to eliminate noise. The active square Tesla coils are embedded in the PCB with a coil on top and the counter coil arm on the back. The principle is exactly the same as the active Tesla coil, and thus it also has a greater ability to eliminate noise than the passive Tesla coil.
The analogue dither technology provides an extended musicality, and is a completely different kind of noise reduction technology than the previous ones. The technology originated in radar, where it ensured a stronger signal and thus a wider range. Ansuz active Tesla coils send pulsating signals in well-defined frequencies, which eliminate noise levels and boost the music signal when sent in antiphase.
